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What would Coventry Cathedral look like today if it hadn’t been bombed during the Second World War?

The video above demonstrates pioneering new technology which will allow visitors access to a dramatic virtual reality recreation of what the site looked like before the Blitz.

A new ‘app’ has been developed which allows users to stand in the ruins and hold up a device to view a reconstruction of St Michael’s Cathedral.

The application uses ‘Google Tango’ technology which also detects the user’s position relative to their surroundings.

That means, if a cardboard virtual reality headset is used with the device, immersive 3D images will change as if the user is standing in the building and looking around.

An interior view of St Michael's Cathedral circa 1936

It is thought to be the first time this Google Tango technology has been used to rebuild a historically significant place in this way.

The app, called ‘RISING Ruins’, has been created by the RISING Global Peace Forum, funded by Coventry University working in collaboration with Coventry Cathedral.

Features of the 14th-century building, destroyed on 14 November 1940 by the German Luftwaffe, have been recreated including the vast medieval stained glass windows, stone pillars, wooden vaulted ceiling and even the original wooden pews.

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Inspired and supported by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the RISING Global Peace Forum was founded in 2015 by a partnership between Coventry University, Coventry Cathedral and Coventry City Council.

The technology will be available for members of the public to try out at RISING 16, the second annual gathering of the Forum, which will be held in the city from 15 to 16 November 2016, with the theme ‘The Ripple Effect’.

RISING Global Peace Forum director Ciarán Norris said: “RISING Ruins uses the latest technology to tell an old and familiar story in a new, vivid way.

Our own photo blending an old photo with the current view

“For the first time in three quarters of a century, people will be able to step inside the ruins of the old cathedral and see how it looked before the Blitz.

“This truly unique experience will not just be a novel way of re-introducing a local landmark to people from the area, but it will serve as an innovative introduction to people who are travelling to Coventry for the first time to attend RISING 16.

“RISING Global Peace Forum aims to encourage new ways of thinking about peace and conflict in our turbulent world and this is a fresh approach to provoking these ideas and conversations.”

The first phase of the project will be completed for the launch at RISING 16, and RISING Global Peace Forum now have opportunities for sponsors of the next stage of development.

The software is being developed by Sean Graham and Andrew Brooks, learning technologists in the Centre for Excellence in Learning Enhancement at Coventry University.

Coventry Cathedral after the Blitz

Mr Graham said: “In order to build an accurate digital reconstruction of the building we were able to use items from the cathedral’s extensive archive including many documents which hadn’t seen the light of day for many decades.

“As far as we’re aware this is the first time this Google Tango technology has been used to rebuild a historically significant place in this way.

“As the first digital journey of its kind in the world, RISING Ruins should become a cornerstone of activity for tourists, local people and school children for years to come.

“We hope the technology will engage people of all ages – from fostering an interest in computer coding in young people to reintroducing older people to a building many remember fondly.

“However, we hope that in the future we might be able to use it to create other significant buildings – particularly those which have been destroyed by conflict.”